WASHINGTON - With a vote on a bill that would extend the federal flood insurance program for five years unlikely before next year, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., on Thursday asked the Senate to approve an extension through Sept. 30, 2012, the end of the current fiscal year.

Times-Picayune archiveSen. David Vitter said, the federal flood insurance program enjoys strong bipartisan support, particularly among lawmakers who represent flood-prone states like Louisiana.

This year, Congress approved two brief extensions of the flood insurance program, the latest of which runs out on Dec. 16.

Vitter said that last year, the program lapsed four times for 53 days, leaving the program without authority to issue new policies and resulting in delayed house closings in flood-prone communities. Those lapses negatively affected an already downtrodden real estate market, Vitter said.

Vitter said he supports a long-term extension, but that isn't likely to occur until February of next year, if not later. An extension through Sept. 30, 2012, will give Realtors the confidence of knowing that when they schedule a house closing it won't be delayed by lapses in flood insurance.

Unlike with other issues, Vitter said, the program enjoys strong bipartisan support, particularly among lawmakers who represent flood-prone states like Louisiana.

"This is not some big ideological dispute," Vitter said during a speech on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon.

In a letter to Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Vitter asked that his bill be scheduled quickly for a vote.

"Each time that the NFIP approaches its expiration date it causes a great deal of turmoil in the housing market because of the uncertainty surrounding the program," Vitter wrote Reid. "One of the many problems with short-term reauthorizations is that many insurers were unable to renew policies of their customers that expired during these lapses, creating a significant burden for these insurance companies."

The flood insurance program now covers about 5.6 million property owners.

The program is $18 billion in debt, mostly as a result of payouts from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said it's important for Congress to pass a long-term extension, including reforms that would allow higher rates to reflect actuarial costs. The short-term extensions, including Vitter's proposal, are just extensions without the reforms Shelby said are needed.